The Bear Facts

Description  Black bears are not completely black. They have a brown muzzle and sometimes even a white "blaze" on the chest. Black bears are the smallest of North American bears. A big male can weigh over 600 pounds (270 kilograms), but most are closer to 270 pounds (121 kilograms). The average female is about 170 pounds (77 kilograms). The male is called a boar and the female, a sow. Young bears are known as cubs.

Distribution  The black bear is one of the most widely distributed big game animals in North America. Its distribution extends from Mexico to Alaska, across to the Great Lakes, and Newfoundland, and down through the Appalachians into Florida. Although, the distribution in North America has remained the same, the number of black bears has declined. They no longer are found in 19 of the interior states in which they formally occurred.

The Florida black bear also has experienced a significant population reduction. Once numerous throughout the state, black bears now are restricted to a few large areas of relatively undisturbed habitat.

Habitat  Black bears prefer forested areas with dense understory vegetation. Thick, "impenetrable" swamps are ideal. Access to a variety of habitats that provides an assortment of foods during different seasons of the year also is important. Florida's subtropical climate, long growing season, numerous swamps, and diverse vegetation types provide excellent conditions for this species.

Diet  Black bears are omnivorous (eat meat and plants) and need an average of 11-18 pounds (5-8 kilograms) of food each day. They feed on almost any succulent, nutritious vegetation (tubers, bulbs, berries, nuts, and young shoots). The food items eaten most often and in the greatest volumes are seasonally available fruits and colonial insects.

The fruits of saw palmetto, cabbage palm, swamp tupelo, and oaks are preferred plant foods in fall. The honey bee is the most frequently eaten insect and armadillos are the most commonly eaten vertebrate.

Legal Status  The Florida black bear was listed by the state as a threatened species, in 1974. This status applies to the entire state except for Baker and Columbia counties and the Apalachicola National Forest. Hunting the Florida black bear is prohibited throughout the entire state.
This subspecies of black bear is in danger of becoming extinct because of extensive habitat loss, not because of hunting. The original, heavily forested, prime bear habitats in Florida have and are being altered to accommodate the needs of hundreds of people moving into the state every day. Forests are being cleared and fragmented into areas too small to support healthy bear populations or in some cases even single animals.

Road kills also are a major problem in areas where highways have cut through remaining bear habitat. Bears can run at a speed of about 30 mph for short distances; however, determining the best escape alternative while looking into the headlights of a high-speed vehicle is too great a challenge for the black bear and other species.

Management  The future of the Florida black bear is dependent on preservation of sufficient forest habitats through growth management and proper management of these forests. Because there are many unanswered questions concerning basic bear biology, scientific research also is necessary to help determine the most effective management practices.

Proper management of habitats is necessary to satisfy the black bear's varied diet. Management practices should strive to allow for a high diversity of plants. Converting naturally diverse flatwood and hardwood communities into slash pine plantations with very few other plants may reduce important foods for the black bear.

Management also is needed to reduce the number of road-killed bears. Some recommendations that may help to prevent bears from crossing highways include: fencing constructed parallel to the roadway, and underpasses (corridors) where bears regularly cross roads. Signs also should be placed along highways to alert drivers of areas where the potential for animal-vehicle collisions is greatest. Construction of new highways and upgrading of existing highways for high speed, high volume traffic through important bear habitat should be avoided.